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Pushing aside her instinct to hide, Leah got out of her SUV. The moment she stepped onto the driveway, the front door of Dakota’s cabin ripped open and voices carried down to her.
“I said I’m fine,” Dakota shouted as he spilled onto the porch. A black, plastic air cast spanned from his right hand to the bend of his elbow. He had on a T-shirt with his cargo pants and some of the tattoo on his left arm was visible.
Leah would miss that tattoo… and the man attached to it.
“Dakota, I just saw her. She needs some time. Seeing you fall like that brought everything back to the surface for her. She’s not in a good place. Let Carter help her for a bit. He understands her pain in a way you and I don’t.” Dena came out onto the porch as well.
“I need to see her, Dena. If I let any time go by, she’ll decide she can’t do this with me. She won’t take the chance.” His deep voice cracked on the wordchanceand Leah almost caved, almost changed her mind and ran to him.
When he turned to head to his truck, he saw her. “Leah.”
Her eyes instantly stung with tears ready to pour forth, but she swallowed those dangerous emotions and squared her shoulders instead. “It’s too late.”
He shook his head as his long strides carried him to her. “No, no, no. It’s not.” He held up his right arm. “I’m okay. See? Only a cast for a little while and I’ll be as good as new.”
“I’m glad,” she managed to choke out, “but we can’t see each other anymore, Dakota.” She clenched her coat in her fist where her heart was, tender and raw and broken beyond repair. She’d been silly to think it’d ever work again the way it was supposed to.
“Leah, don’t do this.” He stepped close enough to reach out to her, but she was faster, backing up with a jolt of her body. The look on his face at her movement told her she’d hurt him.
Good. Easier to say goodbye if he thinks I’m a jerk.
“I’m not capable of giving you what you want, Dakota.” She gestured between them. “This entire thing was an experiment. To see if I could do it. The experiment failed.”
“An experiment?” Dakota’s eyebrows raised in bewilderment. “No, I don’t believe that.” He shook his head again. “I don’t believe that at all. Maybe it started out that way. Hell, it started out that way for me too, I guess. You were the first woman to play hard to get with me. I wanted to see if I could win you over.” He took one step closer. “I think I did, Leah. Even crazier, is that you won me over. Without even trying. I’m drawn to you. I can’t help myself. You have this magic, and I want to be in the presence of that magic. Don’t take it away because you’re afraid.”
“I can’tnotbe afraid.” She hugged her arms around herself, wishing she had a shield against Dakota because damn if she didn’t still want him. Standing that close to him was lessening her resolve. She had to get out of there before she succumbed to him, before she ruined his life with her insecurities.
“I didn’t say to not be afraid,” he said gently as if he were terrified of saying the wrong thing, saying something that would make her leave and never come back. “Hell, Leah, I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what you do to me. You make me want to settle down, stay rooted in one place for long, long periods of time, do the wholeI dothing, you know?”
A floorboard on the porch creaked, and Leah flicked her gaze up to the front door closing behind Dena. When she looked back to Dakota though, his sea-glass eyes were still locked on her, so much emotion swimming in them.
He took another step closer. “Look, I can’t run adventures for a few days.” He held up his casted arm again. “Why don’t you make a long weekend? Take Monday and Tuesday off from school. We’ll get out of here after Nana’s bash tonight. Go somewhere—not too far—just the two of us. I’ll prove to you that we’re meant to be together, Leah. That you can travel with me. That you can trust and be safe with me. That you can love me. That we’re heart matches.”
Dakota closed the distance between them, but the moment his left hand touched her crossed arms, she backed up. The pain that shot across his beautiful face knifed into her, but the fear of potentially losing him somewhere down the road, after she’d given him her heart fully, was enough to make her stick to her plan.
“No. You’re wrong. We’re not heart matches, Dakota. Your heart is big and kind, full of life.” She swallowed loudly, a few tears rolling down her cheeks now. “Mine… well, mine is nothing but ash and shattered dreams. You deserve more. You’ll find more.”
She turned around so fast she almost tripped down the first step to the driveway. She got her balance quickly though and bolted for her SUV before he could run after her.
“Leah!”
She hopped into her vehicle and started it, the engine cutting off Dakota’s pleas. Leah then did something stupid.
She looked in her rearview mirror.
The image of Dakota standing in his front yard with a look of such loss on his face would keep her awake tonight.
And many nights thereafter.
****
The beer in Dakota’s hand did absolutely nothing to numb the pain of his interaction with Leah. He’d have to stop off at the liquor store after Nana’s birthday bash and get something stronger.
Much stronger.
He kept reviewing the things she’d said, the things he’d said, what had maybe goneunsaid. He understood what Leah had gone through with Chase and her family had caused her trauma. He got that. He did. What he didn’t understand was how she could ignore what she felt for him—and he knew she feltsomething.How could she throw it all away? They’d only had a few actual dates, but every little encounter they’d had since they’d met at the school ceremony last month had led up to them having this… thisthingbetween them.
A thing he wasn’t done with yet.
